February 14–15, 2015 North American blizzard explained

February 14–15, 2015 North American blizzard
Rsi:1.14
Lowest Pressure:958
Maximum Snow:27.4inches in Robbinston, Maine[1]
Power Outages:200,000
Total Fatalities:6 fatalities
Affected:Northeast United States, New England, Canada (partial)
Partof:the 2014–15 North American winter

The February 14–15, 2015 North American blizzard was a potent blizzard that occurred in the Northeast United States. The storm dropped up to 25inches of snow in the regions already hit hard with snow from the past 2 weeks. The storm system also brought some of the most coldest temperatures to the Northeast in its wake. The Blizzard was Dubbed Winter Storm Neptune by the Weather Channel.

Meteorological history

The storm developed in a similar fashion to how the previous blizzard originated. On February 14, a clipper system moved off the East Coast and began to intensify rapidly. By midnight, it had gained most of the required criteria to meet blizzard conditions in eastern New England. As the system moved northeast on February 15, a persistent band of heavy snow from the winter storm set up near Boston, resulting in some snowfall rates of 2inches per hour in the snowband. The system continued to intensify even after the storm had ended, with its pressure dropping to 958mbar by midnight February 16. The storm was then absorbed by another cyclone on February 17.

Aftermath and cold wave

See main article: article and February 2015 North American cold wave. The associated cold wave brought the coldest air recorded over portions of the eastern Great Lakes in decades on February 15, and possibly over the entire forecast record.[2] Well below normal temperatures covered a large portion of the eastern United States and were expected to stay in place, with only slight moderation, through the rest of the month.[3] Through February 21, primarily on February 16 and February 20, over 600 record low temperatures were recorded in the eastern U.S., including all-time record lows and record lows for February, including the entire state of Kentucky tying the statewide monthly record low.[4] As of February 15, Lake Erie had 94 percent ice cover[5] while Lake Superior and Lake Huron were over 80 percent covered, and Lakes Michigan and Ontario were between 50 and 60 percent iced over.[6]

After the storm, Great Smoky Mountains National Park closed.[7] In addition, Tennessee was forced to upgrade to a Level II emergency.[8] Many state parks in Western North Carolina were also shut down.[9]

Snowfall reports

This is a list of the largest snowfall reports by state impacted by the storm.

Massachusetts
Maine
Connecticut
Maryland
Michigan
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
West Virginia

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Winter Storm Neptune: Blowing Snow, Brutal Wind Chills in Wake of New England Blizzard . Weather.com . 2016-02-23.
  2. News: Arctic Valentine's blast won't warm the heart. Business First. February 13, 2015. February 13, 2015.
  3. Paul, Don (February 5, 2015). Why it's so gosh darned cold and why it will stay that way for some time to come . WIVB-TV. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  4. Web site: Siberian Express Grips Midwest, Northeast, South; Four Cities Set All-Time Record Lows. February 21, 2015. February 21, 2015. The Weather Channel.
  5. News: Frozen Over: Lake Erie 94 Percent Covered in Ice. February 15, 2015. February 19, 2015. NBC News.
  6. News: See it: Great Lakes freeze over; Lake Erie nearly 100% covered in ice. February 17, 2015. Wagner. Meg. February 19, 2015. New York Daily News.
  7. Web site: Ice Storm Closes Great Smoky Mountains National Park . 17 February 2015 .
  8. https://www.wate.com/news/tennessee-elevated-to-level-ii-state-of-emergency/ Tennessee elevated to Level II State of Emergency
  9. https://www.citizen-times.com/story/girls-gone-outdoors/2015/02/16/most-wnc-state-parks-closed/23504845/ Storm forces most WNC state parks to close